An
Underwater Camera Test in the
Middle of Winter?
It's
winter here in the U.S. But while it's a bone chilling 8 degrees
outside my office today, it's balmy and warm in Florida, the
American Southwest and the Caribbean, which is why so many of you
are headed to those places for vacation right about now.

For those of
you lucky enough to be heading off to warmer climes we have a
review on underwater vacation cameras courtesy of Charles Dias. Charles is writing from Brazil
where the weather is warm and the the beaches beautiful. Hmm,
maybe I need to rethink where I'm spending my winters...

Will you be spending your vacation on a
beach, beside a waterfall or along a scenic river? Maybe you're just going
to spend your time in a swimming pool with the kids. So why not shoot
while in the water?

There are beautiful pictures to be had both above and below the surface
of the water. Since most of us don't have the right equipment to take our
SLRs under water, you've probably looked at disposable underwater cameras
and wondered about their quality.

Some Basics
Earth. Perhaps our planet has the wrong name, it's mostly covered
by water. We're surrounded by water in the oceans, rivers, and even in our
swimming pools.

But taking photo equipment to the beach can be dangerous for our
cameras and lenses. Sand, salt water and harsh sun are all concerns. There are
plenty of articles full of advice about cleaning and taking care of
photographic equipment at the beach, the dangers of salt water, moisture
and sand. These concerns prevent many photographers from
enjoying the great photo opportunities that exist on, around and in the
water.

What do we need to know about underwater photography? What kind of
equipment exists?

Basically there are three kinds of "wet" photography:

Surface Photography You shoot with
the camera close the water's surface, showing someone swimming, surfing or
just playing. You practice this kind of photography when boating, canoeing,
rafting, running rapids and participating in other water sports.
In this instance the camera isn't taken underwater but it's
always in danger of getting wet. Some professional and even amateur compact cameras are fully
sealed to allow their use in such conditions but
it's not possible to fully protect most amateur and prosumer cameras, compact
cameras,
SLRs or DSLRs unless you purchase custom built and expensive housings.

Low Depth Underwater Photography This is photography at a depth
of less than 10 meters or 33 feet of water. Most compact underwater
cameras experience problems below this depth due to light loss, a weak
flash or increased water pressure.

Deep Water Photography This is true underwater photography using professional
cameras, underwater housings, and sealed external flash units.

Deep water
photography requires a significant investment in both photography and
diving equipment as well as time spent learning the skills to dive safely.
Your reward is the unbelievable beauty of the flora and fauna that inhabit
the seas and coral reefs.

OK those are the options for those who want to shoot in and
around the water on a regular basis. But what are the options for those of
us who don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on
underwater equipment we'll use only once or twice a year during
vacations or holidays? Equipment that will only collect dust in a
closet the rest of the year.

Well for the rest of us there are disposable underwater cameras. Disposable underwater cameras are simple compact cameras
(just advance the film and press the shutter release) encased in a plastic or
acrylic housing. They can be used in and around the water and for low depth underwater
photography, but while some are capable of withstanding the pressure of
deeper water, the lack of light will render them useless in deep water.

The biggest problem with these cameras
is their lack of flash. Why is that a problem?

Water acts like a big blue filter.
The deeper you go, the more the red spectrum is filtered out and the bluer
your pictures become. When your camera has a flash you supply your own
light and your own red spectrum. The result are images with true vibrant
colors.

According to the manufacturers of the
disposable underwater cameras, eliminating a powerful flash avoids the risk of
electric shock in case of water leaking into the case, and avoids film damage
from fumes given off from batteries sealed inside the camera case. An onboard flash can also create severe problems
with "backscatter". A condition where small particles floating
in the water reflect the flash making it look like your subject is obscured
by falling snow. All these problems are corrected on more expensive
systems through the use of sealed external flash units.

So with these limitations why use a disposable underwater camera at
all?
Because used properly, at shallow depths where the sunlight is less
filtered you can get great pictures.

Keep the following in mind:

- The water is a big filter and it also distorts the
image, especially when you're shooting in strong currents. So the object
is to get as close as possible - while maintaining a safe distance from
wildlife.

- Check the clarity of the water. A lot of sand or small
particles in suspension in the water will result in poor images. You'll
generally too much sediment kicked up in the water after storms.

- Shoot between the 10 AM to 3 PM to get
the maximum sunlight available. The high angle of the sun will even extend
the depth to which you can shoot. The low angle of early and late sun
limits its penetration below the surface.

- Don't exceed the depth your camera is rated for or you may bring a
camera full of water to the surface instead of a camera full of photos.

Charles Dias is the creator and editor of the excellent
Brazilian online photo magazine Louco
por Fotografia. Currently this site is published
only in Portuguese, but you can take a peak using the BableFish
translator - a free service from Alta Vista.

To use it to view Louco por Fotografia, go to http://www.babelfish.altavista.com/tr
, and enter http://www.loucoporfotografia.net/ into the Translate
a Web page field. Then choose the Portuguese to English
translation. There are limits as to what an automated translator
can do, but you'll be able to get the gist of the
articles and you'll enjoy some wonderful images.